Spread the love

Are you heading to the beaches, lakes, and hotel pools this summer? Are you wondering if the beach is safe? How about lakes? And pools?

More people are getting vaccinated. Others are recovering from infections, whether or not they had symptoms. Borders are opening up and pandemic guidelines are easing in many areas. These factors are contributing to a steady increase in travelers returning to the shores.

An NBC news report said, “If you didn’t know any better, you may think [the San Diego beach crowd earlier this summer] was a scene from before the pandemic – as thousands enjoyed the weekend along the water’s edge free from COVID-19 restrictions.” Hawaii is “flooded with tourists” and local businesses throughout the state are struggling to meet the needs of tourists and locals alike, according to a recent report.

The east coast beach communities are busy, too. “Summer rentals have gone wild on Cape Cod, [Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard], with most weeks already booked with demand so high people are ‘panic calling’ daily,” according to a report. Trip searches to North Carolina’s Outer Banks more than doubled from early 2019, according to an analysis by Trips To Discover.

COVID-19 vaccinations are climbing and people are traveling to shorelines everywhere. Is the shoreline a safer haven from the pandemic?

According to science, yes. “It’s extremely unlikely for coronavirus to be transmitted by water,” based on a report by the Cleveland Clinic.

Ocean beaches and lakeshores are wildly popular during the summer and early fall. Swimming, wading, sailing, kayaking, tubing, boating, and all the other types of water sports are favorite activities among travelers to the shoreline. Pools are a common summertime recreational hot spot, too.

Will you be safe from the virus?

Your likelihood of exposure, let alone infection, drops considerable when you’re outside. “The context to keep in mind is that the baseline outdoor risk with all of these [coronavirus variants] is extremely low,” said Aaron Richterman, an infectious-disease clinical fellow at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

When you’re at the shore or in the water the risk of infection is still extremely low. The virus does not do well in water whether it is seawater, freshwater lakes, or chlorinated pool water, according to Cleveland Clinic staff critical care physician Joseph Khabbaza. The likelihood of spreading coronavirus at a beach, lake, or pool is low because the virus is not passed on by water.

“The virus doesn’t live very well in just water so it’s not going to live well in chlorinated water. That goes for larger natural bodies of water and saltwater, like at beaches. None of these respiratory viruses have been described to be transmitted in a waterborne fashion,” he said.

Coronavirus is a disease spread by humans when we breathe, talk, cough, or sneeze. Depending on the size of the crowds, summertime social distancing on the waterfront may be difficult. If you’re on the beach, the lakeshore, or the pool deck and you’ve got plenty of space between you and everyone else then your risk of infection is quite low, even if you’re unmasked.

“If you’re sitting in a little circle of your family or if it’s just your small social circle and you’re adequately spaced from others, a mask is not necessary for a setting where you’re able to physically distance from others in an outdoor environment,” Khabbaza said.

Safety on the shores of beaches and lakes goes beyond pandemic protocols. The ongoing threats from sunburn, heatstroke, stings from jellyfish and sea urchins, coral cuts, snake bites and swimmer’s itch must be top of mind for travelers. Planning and preparing for these risks can mean the difference between a vacation briefly interrupted and one permanently ruined.

By Scott Mitcham

Scott Mitcham is a Global Rescue senior medical operations specialist and a 25-year veteran paramedic including service in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard.